These non-alcoholic, delicious and healthy beverages will be sure to delight your guests, adults and children alike, this holiday period. They are quick and simple to make and take advantage of the beautiful vitamin-packed fruits available to us this time of year.
Did you know: In the USA, on any given day, more 60% of the population has not had even one serving of any fruit. In fact, only 11% of the population has consumed the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables. ~John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
PINK DELIGHT
- 2 cups fresh strawberries
- 3 Tbsp honey
- 2 cups plain yogurt
Clean strawberries and puree them in a blender. Mix with last 2 ingredients. Pour in chilled glasses. Makes four 200ml servings.
FRUIT ‘N BERRY FIZZ
- 1 1/2 cups blueberries
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 cup soda water
Put first 5 ingredients in blender and whiz. Then stir in natural soda water. Makes 2 –3 servings.
CRANBERRY FRESH-UP
- 2 cups chilled cranberry juice
- 4 Tbsp honey
- 2 cups chilled, plain yogurt
- 2 cups chilled soda water
Combine first 3 ingredients in blender. Add the soda water. Mix well and serve. Makes 4 –6 servings.
FRUIT SHERBERT
- 1 cup yogurt
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 cup berries
Combine ingredients and freeze until mushy. Then take out and whip with a whisk. Return to freezer until solid. Serves 4.
HOLIDAY LASSI
- 2 cups yogurt
- 2 cups fresh unsweetened orange juice
- 1/4 cup of honey
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 cup milk powder
Combine ingredients in blender and whiz until fluffy and smooth. Serve over ice.
TROPICAL FRUIT PUNCH
- 1 large pineapple, skin removed and chopped (or 2 cups pineapple juice)
- 3 litres tropical fruit juice (unsweetened)
- A little fresh ginger juice to taste
- Chopped fresh mint leaves to garnish
- Pulp of 10 passionfruit
- 1 litre soda water
Puree pineapple in blender and then mix with juice, ginger juice, mint and passionfruit. Add soda water just before serving. Serve chilled with or without crushed ice.
LEMONADE
- 2 cups lemon grass tea
- 2-3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup soda water
- ice cubes
Mix together tea, lemon juice and honey. Just before serving add soda water and ice cubes.
HOLIDAY SPARKLER
- 1 part cranberry juice
- 1 part apple juice
- 2 Tbsp natural lemon-lime soda, chilled
- Sparkling water, chilled
- Garnishes: strawberries, lemon twists etc.
Mix enough (equal parts) of first 2 ingredients to fill a large punch bowl or container. Serve to order. Fill each glass 3/4 of the way full from the punch bowl, add natural lemon-lime soda and fill the rest of the way with sparkling water. Garnish with lemon twist and cherry or strawberry on a beverage “sword” or cocktail stick.
FESTIVE TROPICAL PUNCH
- 1 1/2 litres apple juice
- 1 1/2 litres orange juice
- 3 cups grapefruit juice
- 3 cups pineapple juice
- 4 cups sweet tropical fruit, pureed (mango, pineapple, papaya and/or banana)
- 3 litres sparkling water
- 2 cups fresh strawberries sliced
Combine first 4 ingredients in a large pot or mixing bowl. Blend fresh fruit pieces together in blender till smooth and pour into juices. Mix well. Pour mixture into ice cubes or children’s popsicle trays (this makes delicious popsicles for the kids) and freeze solid. (Fill quite a few ice cube trays). Just before serving, pour fruit ice cubes into a large punch bowl and pour in sparkling water. Top with strawberries. Makes about 12 litres.
Variation: use different kinds of fruit juice and fruit purees.
SMOOTHIES
Smoothies can be made using milk, soya milk, nut milk or yogurt as a base. The only limitation is your imagination…here are some ideas to get you going.
- Milk, bananas, orange and lemon juice
- Milk, bananas, hazelnuts and cream
- Milk, strawberries, honey and yogurt
- Watermelon, yogurt, honey and bananas
- Apricots, coconut milk, yogurt, honey
- Soaked prunes, bananas, ripe pear, apple juice, coconut milk
- Tofu, honey, bananas, milk and tahini
- Try freezing fruit before adding to smoothie for an extra creamy texture